


I'll Be Right Beside You

by Basil_Baz



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Coming of Age, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Luna Lovegood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:06:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28753359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basil_Baz/pseuds/Basil_Baz
Summary: A tale of friendship, love, and finding yourself.ORWatch Ginny and Luna grow up, discovering their identities and love for each other. Look forward to a nonbinary Luna and the friendship turning into a sapphic relationship.
Relationships: Luna Lovegood & Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: I (obviously) do not own Harry Potter. Anything you recognize belongs to JK Rowling, and everything else is probably mine.

It was a sunny, summer day. Butterflies floated gently on the slight breeze and the buzzing of bees searching for pollen could be heard through the quiet meadow. A field of flowers and long grass sat on the outskirts of a small town. In the middle of this beautiful location sat two young girls, one with red hair and one a pale blonde.

“Ginny, are you a flower?”

The red-head stared in shock at her friend. 

“No, I am _not_ a flower. Why would you even ask that?”

The questioner leaned towards Ginny and sniffed her hair. “You smell sweet, like a flower. And you’re pretty like one as well.”

Ginny blushed. “Luna! You can’t say things like that. And if anyone was a flower, it would be you. You’re happy and relaxed, and prettier than me.”

“Don’t put yourself down on my behalf,” Luna said, and placed the daisy crown she was making on Ginny’s head, “And here, now you can really be a flower.”

Ginny noticed that Luna’s seemingly careless smile looked a bit forced and knew that her own was as well. The Lovegoods were planning on going to South America to search for rare creatures the next day, which means that Luna and Ginny would be separated for longer than they had in years.

“I’m going to miss you when you leave tomorrow. I know you’ll only be gone for a week, but it’s so long to be alone with only my brothers for company.”

“You could come with. I’d like to have you there,” Luna said, her expression looking more genuine.

“Really?! I’m going to ask my mom _right now_.”

***

“It’s hot--,” Ginny complained.

“We’re in the Amazon. It’s usually quite warm here.”

“When will we find the _cordyla lacerto_? We’ve been walking for ages--. What does that mean, anyway?”

“Oh, you’ve never been told? It is the Latin word for ‘small lizard.’”

“That’s uncreative,” Ginny mumbled.

Luna continued as if there wasn’t an interruption, “There were reported sightings… there.”

Luna and Ginny looked ahead to see a tiny green lizard leading a group of even tinier lizards towards a tree.

“They are _so cute_. The kids are so tiny! Can I touch them? Please--.”

Luna’s father glanced at Ginny. “Their skin is very, very poisonous. You can take pictures, but _no touching_.”

Luna, Ginny, and Xenophilius spent hours looking at the lizards and other creatures they encountered. Ginny gushed over all of the cutest ones, with Luna smiling at her antics.

“Luna, this was amazing! Thank you for bringing me with you. You are the best friend _ever_.”

“I love you too, Ginny.”

***

“Brothers suck,” Ginny groaned, then flopped on Luna’s bed. 

Luna looked up and smiled. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t have any brothers.”

“Fred and George pranked me _again_ . This time they dyed my entire body green. _Green_. And they wouldn’t turn me back until Mom threatened to remove them from the Gryffindor Quidditch team,” Ginny complained, then muttered, “I don’t even know if that’s possible, but they seemed scared.”

“I know what we have to do. We have to prank them back.”

“But-but, we don’t know any spells or potions and don’t have any prank supplies.”

“It doesn’t have to be complicated. I have poison ivy in my backyard, and if we make it into a powder to put in their soap it will make them very itchy. Of course, it would be sad if they were hurt.”

“Luna, you are a genius,” Ginny exclaimed, then excitedly hugged her.

***

“Ginny, you come here _right now_. It’s revenge time!” Fred screamed.

“Prank war!” George exclaimed.

Ginny ran to hide in her room, locking the door after her. When she glanced at her closet, she gasped, then growled. All of her clothes had been dyed neon orange.

 _How are they so creative without spells?_ Ginny wondered, feeling increasingly angry. _Now it’s_ my _revenge time._

***

When Ginny was sure that the twins were asleep, she snuck into their room with a bag filled with her orange clothes. She dumped it into their dresser, then put all of their clothes in the bag, which she hid under her bed.

 _Haha, now_ they _have to wear orange clothes._

Ginny knew that they would be mad, and the fact that they had a lot more pranking resources made her scared for what the next day would bring. 

***

“Children, this ends now,” Molly Weasley demanded. Ginny was still bright green, and the twins were covered in blue slime (Ginny still wondered where Luna found that). “Stop bothering your siblings and try to _get along_.”

Ginny stuck out her tongue at her brothers and they smirked back. 

“Okay, Mom,” they chorused.

_Though their pranks were annoying, this was fun. Maybe I can be friends with people other than Luna, even if they are just my brothers._

_Thanks, Luna._

***

Ginny and Luna sat on the floor in Luna’s bedroom. There were books and small figurines of creatures covering various surfaces. 

Ginny picked up a unicorn stuffed animal and flopped on her back. “It’s going to be my birthday soon. And then soon after we’ll be off to Hogwarts. Time is moving so quickly and I just want it to _stop_. I want to stay here, where it’s just you and me, best friends. What- what if we aren’t in the same Hogwarts house? What if we aren’t friends any-?” Ginny abruptly stopped when Luna put a hand on her arm.

“Wrackspurts are floating through your head, making you think all these anxious thoughts. They’re warded off by happiness, and I know you have a lot of that. Think about all the good things about Hogwarts. We’ll get _wands_ and be able to use magic! I’m so excited to learn spells, though it’s really quite sad that we can’t take Care of Magical Creatures until third year. Just relax and know that things will be okay. No matter what, I will _always_ be your friend. I have been since I was little, and I will be forever. I won’t give up on you, just like I know you won’t give up on me. Okay?”

Ginny sighed. “Okay.”

“Now, let’s go downstairs. I think I have something that might help.”

***

Every time Ginny went into the Lovegood living room, it seemed like the piles of books became bigger and more unstable. She carefully navigated through the stacks covering the floor, hoping to not upset a pile and cause a bigger mess. Luna, of course, had already floated to the bookshelves on the other side of the room. 

“Ginny? Is everything okay? You looked scared. I hope that the Wrackspurts haven’t come back. They’re always such a bother.”

“No, no! I’m fine. I’m just, um, contemplating these books!”

“Contemplate them later, silly. And don’t worry about knocking them over, the mess is part of the fun!”

Luna pulled a book off the shelf.

“Here! _The Comprehensive Guide to Interhouse Unity_.” Luna opened to a random page and started muttering to herself as she read it.

“Um, Luna, can you tell me why we needed that book?”

“Oh! It talks about the best ways to make and keep friends in other houses at Hogwarts. The book includes maps pointing out meeting spots that all can go to, spells for sending notes across the school when we can’t be together (though that might be a bit advanced), and even the best secret passages that can be used to enter dorms you don’t live in. We can read it now, then bring it to Hogwarts and refer back to it if we do end up separated.”

Luna hugged the book to her chest then grabbed Ginny’s hand and twirled her around, causing her to let out a small shriek of surprise.

“See, don’t you feel better already?”

“I guess it helps a bit, Luna. Thanks. You’re a really great friend.”

Luna’s smile widened at that compliment and she continued to dance around the room with Ginny.

_I’m sure that it will all be okay._


	2. Chapter Two: Blue and Yellow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginny and Luna are heading to Hogwarts.

**Chapter Two: Blue and Yellow**

A large crowd of children stood with their families on a train platform. More entered, seeming to appear from a pillar. A red steam train emitting smoke dominated the area. One family, consisting of a young blonde girl and her father, seemed to have a more unique conversation than many others.

“Bye, Daddy! Try not to get lost while I’m gone.”

“Of course, Luna. Tell me what you find out about the Sorting Hat. I had always thought that it was possessed by the spirit of Rowena Ravenclaw, but the Headmaster wouldn’t give me access to it for study.”

“I’ll try, Daddy. It could be my first article!”

A large family of redheads with similar clothes and loud voices stood nearby. The sole young girl argued with her mother. 

“ _Mom_ , I’ll be fine. I have four brothers there _and_ Luna. I won’t need help anyway. I’m 11! I can be independent.”

“Ronald almost died in his first year, there’s no way to know what will happen.” The woman leaned in to hug her daughter.

“Mom, I promise I’ll try my best to stay safe. Now get off me! I have to get on the train.”

“Ginny, we should sit together on our journey,” Luna said, walking up to her friend. She grabbed Ginny’s hand and started pulling her onto the train. “This is going to be a fun adventure! Aren’t you excited?”

“I guess I am. It’s scary, but maybe I’ll like Hogwarts.”

“You won’t know until we get there, so think happy thoughts and fly—.”

“Sometimes I just don’t understand you, Luna.”

***

“Oh, look, an empty compartment! This one’s quite pretty, isn’t it? Let’s sit here.”

“Luna, all of the compartments look the same.”

“Of course, silly, but what is inside differs. Look around, there are glitterfies everywhere. Aren’t their lights so beautiful?”

“I can’t see them, Luna, but I’m sure they are great.”

“Ooh, I know just the thing: Spectrospecs! Daddy gave me a few prototypes to test. They should allow you to See.”

“See?”

“See. Please try it before doubting me. Don’t you trust me?”

“Of course,” Ginny said, jamming the glasses onto her face. “There is some glitter, but it seems… muffled.”

“I’ll report that to Daddy so he can refine future versions. Do you like them? It seems so strange to not be able to see creatures all the time.”

“They’re… beautiful.”

“I thought you’d think that.”

“Can- can you show me more, some time?”

“Of course, love. I want to share _everything_ with you.”

“Love?”

“Just a nickname, do not be bothered!”

“I’m happy that you care about me as much as I do for you.”

Luna sighed in relief after realizing that she didn’t make Ginny uncomfortable. She looked up and smiled at her favorite person. 

“Best friends?”

“Best friends.”

***

“Peeves caused trouble _again_.”

“I’d say he’s out of chances.”

The first years gasped as they saw ghosts float into the room. Their translucent, silver appearance and ability to fly frightened the young children, especially those who had less exposure to the magical world.

“Oh, look! The new students. The Sorting Ceremony must be starting soon. I hope to see you in Hufflepuff!” a heavyset ghost exclaimed, then followed the rest in moving through a nearby wall.

“I heard from Ron that they did this last year too. The ghosts must love scaring us,” Ginny mumbled to Luna. 

“Oh, I think the early introduction is sweet! We won’t be surprised later on, and the ghosts seem to be lovely.”

“Lovely, sure, where did you even get that idea from?” Ginny grumbled.

“They glow. Isn’t that amazing? I’ve always wanted to befriend a ghost, don’t you know? Anyway, cheer up! We’re about to find out our home for the next _seven_ years. It’s exciting!”

“I’ll try, Luna, I’ll try.”

***

“Weasley, Ginevra.”

Ginny slowly walked over to the Sorting Hat and allowed Professor McGonagall to put it on her head.

“Hmm. Lots of loyalty, especially to your friends and family. You do love your friend Luna, don’t you? I can tell that you’d like to be with your brothers so you won’t be alone, but a different house could help you grow.”

“I- I love my brothers, but I want to be independent too. Mom always wanted me to rely on them, but why do I have to anymore, now that I’m at school? Either way, my family and Luna are _really_ important to me and I’ll do anything for them, even going to a house where I might not belong.”

“Well, then your devotion to those you care about will make you find a good home in _HUFFLEPUFF_!”

Ginny heard Ron scream “what?” as soon as the hat told the hall her placement. The Hufflepuffs loudly clapped, as they did for all of their new members, and Luna joined in from the Ravenclaw table. Ginny tried to wear a confident face while walking to sit with her new house, but she was worried about what her brothers would think.

_This is the best choice for me, and that’s what counts, right? It’s not like I’m in Slytherin. I hope that this will go well._

***

“I am always hungry and will die if not fed, but whatever I touch will soon turn red. What am I?”

Luna stared thoughtfully at the Ravenclaw door knocker. “The stittle-doddle. It’s a magical plant covered in a red, sticky liquid that enjoys the taste of human flesh.”

The knocker made a gasp of disgust. “Interesting answer, but your reasoning seems to be correct.” After Luna entered the now-open door, the door guard muttered to itself, “I was looking for the answer of fire, but now I must hope that the girl’s plant is a figment of her imagination.”

Inside the common room, Luna took a moment to pause and look at the decor of Ravenclaw Tower. There were bookshelves on all walls, covered with everything from magical textbooks to Muggle fiction. There were lanterns floating above couches and tables on which students were studying, reading, or having whispered conversations. The common room seemed to be modeled after a library, and those who live there treated it in that way.

It reminded Luna of her father’s house, and she felt a brief moment of homesickness which turned into determination.

 _I am going to_ love _it here, I’m sure of it._

***

Many floors below where Luna stood, Ginny observed the common room of her new home. All she could see were plants. Vines grew across the ceiling and their ends trailed to the floor. Pots containing flowers, succulents, and magical varieties of those were sitting on tables and shelves. Many students were taking a break from studying to talk and laugh cheerfully. 

Ginny walked over to a table and put down her books. She took a moment to tickle a plant, which swayed as if it was happy, then settled in a chair and smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Feel free to leave a review telling me your thoughts, and have a lovely day/night.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Feel free to leave a comment, but know that this is my first fic, so don't be too harsh.


End file.
